The Omega
by Nezune Otoki
Summary: Having no parents, Naruto is the new wolf pup in the Konoha pack. No one seems to be intersted except a certain uchiha. Will Naruto make a friend and find something more with the Uchiha? Contains SasuNaru
1. The Lost

This is a story where all of Konoha and Naruto characters are wolves, just something that popped in my head one night. Just a warning for people who think this will turn out like the anime/manga. This is fan fiction, so no this doesn't follow the manga or anime to the exact point .

Another warning, this content contains yaoi (male/male) in future chaps, if you don't like it don't read it. For those who do, just be patient and enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters Masashi Kishimoto does.

Blood red eyes watched the wolf pack closely from the safety of the thick green foliage; looking away not once from the alpha wolf that stood proudly on a high rock; his fur glistening in the morning sun. The red eyes narrowed as a low growl escaped it's thick, black lips.

"Patience Kurama!" Another wolf whispered harshly. Kurama looked over at the one who silenced him and growled low raising his tail. The other male didn't need Kurama to say anything more as he lowered his ears and curled his tail between his legs. They should know better than to speak like that to their alpha, especially when he was doing this for their survival. Kurama was a rather large wolf with blood orange fur, blood red eyes with black demonic pupils, and black fur covering his eyes up to the insides of his ears.

The wolf that had previously backed down was Son Goku. He had blood red fur, a pale green underside and paws. Kurama's pack consisted of nine wolves that once were loners, and Kurama became their leader. They are the Beast pack on account of their large stature compared to other wolves. The alpha looked through the bushes again; his eyes locking on a white wolf with a yellow stripe running down its back to the tip of his tail, blue arms, hind legs, and a green underside. The wolf also had yellow paws, a red tipped tail and a red stripe where white met blue fur near the legs, and pretty crystal blue eyes. Kurama smirked and began to crouch; tail out and bristled near the tip. The followers then took their positions as well and waited for their alpha to give the signal.

Kurama's tail swished back and forth excitedly as he watched an orange female with a green underside, white paws, and red stripe running down her back and tail approach the alpha with a smile. Oh yes he couldn't wait to destroy those who drove his pack away into the mountains with barely anything to eat. Yes they would pay. Kurama flared his tail high and leaped incredible heights through the bushes with a loud howl; signaling the rest of his pack to attack. The pack that was relaxing scattered and began to flee from the larger wolf barreling towards them.

The white alpha growled and leaped down from his perch into the battle, with the female not too far behind him. With the alphas engaging combat, the rest of the pack took action to help. The other eight large wolves took on the white wolf's pack with satisfaction.

"Minato! Today you and your pack die!" Kurama howled loudly and swatted the alpha into a large tree with a powerful blow from his large paw. Said wolf yelped in pain from the collision and lay there for a moment. Kurama moved in to make the kill, but he was pushed down by the orange female. She growled menacingly at him and darted for the large wolf's neck. Kurama quickly countered her attack with his paw; making her slide towards the den made of large rocks. The alpha smirked, then quickly melted into a frown when Minato was up and running towards him again. This was going to be a long battle.

Pained howls and whines filled the air as the two packs continued their bloodshed. The eight large wolves had just finished taking down the pack and where now gorging on the dead and watching their alpha finish off the last of the wolves. Kurama growled in a deep, dark voice. He was furious that they were still trying to fight even though they were at their limits. The two came after the large alpha again, hoping to take Kurama down with teamwork.

Kurama smirked, "You cannot defeat me when you two are at the end of your strength." His voice was deep and calm as they closed in on him ready to strike. The large alpha let them come at him, their canines sinking into Kurama's fur. He chuckled darkly as he ran full blast on his right side into a tree. A loud whine echoed through the forest as the female was slammed into the hard wood. Quickly Kurama rammed his other side into another tree getting the same reaction. As an unconscious Minato slid down to the ground Kurama noticed he was very close to their den.

A loud growl brought his attention back as he was now face to face with a very angry alpha female. "Don't you dare take another step!" she barked crouching into and fighting position. Kurama stared at the female for what seemed like hours, her ears were drawn back and her tail erect. Whatever was in the den was very important to her. Kuruma smirked showing off his large, sharp canines; making the female growl more.

He chuckled darkly and in a swift movement snatched the female by the neck with his powerful jaws. He lifted the whimpering wolf off the ground and slammed her into the bloody grass; earning another yelp. Kurama watched the tears run down her orange and green fur. With a satisfied smile he raised the wolf high in the air, and then clamped down hard. The crunching sound of bone rang through the air as the female went limp in the large wolf's mouth.

"Kushinaaaaa!" Minato yelled; he had watched in horror as his mate's lifeless body dropped hard onto the ground. No, he had regained consciousness too late. Tears clouded his vision as he stood wobbly on his paws and dashed towards Kurama.

"Kurumaaaa!" The large wolf rolled down onto the ground before he even had a chance to see who his attacker was. When he stopped he looked up to see Minato in the air ready to strike. Kurama barely managed to dodge the swift alpha. Kuruma was agitated; Minato had actually successfully pushed him. The large wolf growled and laughed maniacally. "What's the matter? Are you angry that I ended your pack? Or is it because I killed off your precious mate?"

Minato growled low and dashed silently to Kurama landing a nice wound from his claws on the wolf's cheek. Kurama growled low and leaped up to tackle the alpha to the ground. Minato stood on his hind legs; catching the other alpha. The two rolled; clawing and biting at each other every time they could. They dispatched from each other after a few good minutes and were now staring the other down. Kurama had a few cuts that were bleeding while Minato was covered in large gashes, with sticky blood dripping rapidly from the wounds onto the grass below. '_I can't…let Kurama…take…him…' _ Minato thought tiredly. He was the only one left of their pack, and he had to protect what was left of it.

Minato panted weakly trying desperately to stand and fight. The large alpha panted slowly, he was getting a bit tired but not as much as Minato was. Kurama smirked as an idea struck him. He quickly turned around and ran towards the den where Kushina didn't want him to go. Minato froze in fear. Did Kurama know? The white alpha sprinted towards the den close to Kurama's trail. His heart skipped a beat when the large alpha inched his head in the den.

"`NOOO!" Minato leaped into the air ready to bite Kurama's defenseless neck. It had happened all so fast; Minato was sure he was victorious. The white alpha's eyes were drooped tiredly while his limbs had gone limp; he had no energy left. _'I'm sorry…Kushina…I failed you…I failed…you and our pack…'_ The alpha was on his back, red blood pooling from his wound and staining his white fur.

Kurama smirked evilly, "Fool, you fell for it." He then lowered to Minato's ear and whispered, "Tell me Minato. What is so damn important about your den that you and your mate fought so hard to protect from me?"

Minato glanced weakly at the massive paw that had sunk itself deep into his chest and whined. His vision was starting to fade quickly, making the tears flow freely. "N-Na-ruto…" Minato whispered low. Kurama narrowed his eyes in confusion and growled softly as he pushed his paw forcefully into the alpha's chest. Bones cracked and blood spat up from the wolf's muzzle. Minato's body went limp as death claimed him.

Kurama tuned his head towards his pack and smirked, "The Uzumaki pack is history." His fellow wolves howled in victory. Kurama smiled; finally, his pack would survive and not be pushed out of their home again. His smile faded though as Minato's last word lingered around in his head. '_N-Na-ruto…'_

What the hell was a Naruto? He took one look at the den and sauntered over. He poked his head in like before, but this time actually looked around. Nothing was near the opening, so he guessed he'd have to go in deeper. Kurama growled in frustration, the den was small for him; he'd have to crouch low to the ground just to go in further. After about a few minutes of inching around in the den he heard a small whimper. He sat still as his ears swiveled towards where the sounds were coming from.

Kurama sniffed around and picked up the faint scent of a wolf that smelled of the two alphas he killed only moments ago. He sniffed again, following the scent to where it was the strongest. Kurama finally came to a part of the den where even he could stand up and feel comfortable. He sniffed frequently; the scent was the strongest in this part of the den. He looked around not seeing anything and growled. He continued to look around, his agitation growing when he didn't see anyone there.

His eyes finally settled on a small tunnel; the scent continued down there, but it was faint. '_Maybe down there.'_ As Kurama starred into the narrow tunnel he felt something bump into his paw. The action made the large wolf look down with narrowed eyes at the culprit. There, playing with his massive paw was a small wolf pup. '_Could this be Naruto?'_ The alpha smirked, this was his chance, he could completely wipe out the Uzumaki Pack. Without a second thought Kurama snatched the surprised pup in his jaws and headed for outside. Why not kill the last in front of the others?

The new light made the little pup whine, not used to coming outside since he was still young. Kurama let the pup slide out of his jaws onto the ground. The pup took one look at Kurama and whimpered. The wolf was so huge, even bigger than his dad. Kurama chuckled darkly gaining the attention of his pack.

"Kurama, where did you find him?" Asked a blue female. She had blue fur, a black underside with black covering the eyes and insides of her ears, one yellow eye and one green eye. Kurama grinned, "I found him in their den, I guess they didn't want their pup to die like them." He grinned more when said pup backed up whining.

The other wolves chuckled as Kurama backed the scared pup into a tree. The young wolf then realized that the large wolf had said die. The pup's eyes landed on the dead corpses of his parents. The wolf's body wracked with shudders as his tears flowed freely. "Mom! Dad! No please!" Forgetting his fears for the moment, he ran as fast as he could to his now lifeless family.

"Mom, please wake up…please."The distraught pup nuzzled his mother, whining at her to move. When he could no longer handle his mother being unresponsive, he tried waking his dad; shaking the dead alpha's arm.

"Come on dad, you're strong you have to wake up…dad…?" The pup sniffled loudly.

"Mom….Dad…." The young wolf looked up at the killer with sorrowful blue eyes. Kurama didn't know why, but this made him feel somewhat guilty of the killings he committed.

"Why?..." He asked, his voice trembling. "Why did you do this?!" He yelled at Kurama. The alpha looked at the pup with hard eyes. His ears swiveled back where he heard the growls of his pack. They were waiting for him to kill the pup.

Kurama walked over to the sad pup, paw raised for the kill. The pup closed his eyes tight as the alpha brought the blood stained appendage down, but the pain never came. The paw lingered above the tiny head, barely touching the pup. Kurama hesitated as he took in the pup's appearance. He was an orange pup with a yellow underside, black arms and yellow that rose on his front paws a little, and black low on his hind legs, he had a yellow stripe of fur running along his back to his tail much like his dad. Just seeing this pup lost, and hurt tugged at the alpha's heart a bit. Instantly an image of him as a pup replaced Naruto.

Kurama sighed, he couldn't kill the pup he reminded him too much of himself when he was but a pup. The alpha lowered his paw to the ground and collected the whimpering wolf in his jaws. He turned to walk into the forest with no other wolf besides Naruto. Kurama's pack whispered amongst themselves at what was wrong with their alpha.

~~In The Forest~~

Kurama placed the pup down when he thought he was a good distance from his pack and walked on. Naruto sat there confused and sad. Kurama growled when the he didn't follow. "Come now." He commanded sternly. Naruto whimpered, but followed nonetheless. The pup walked alongside Kurama with his head down. There was silence as they walked on, normally this was peace to Kurama, but when he'd look down at the pup it would bother him. He had to get the pup talking to him otherwise he'd go insane.

"…Naruto is it?" Kurama asked suddenly, stunning Naruto.

"W-what?" The pup asked hesitantly. How'd he know his name? He never told him who he was.

"That's your name isn't it? Naruto?" Naruto nodded slowly, not really wanting to talk to the wolf that just killed his parents.

"Your father had told me you were in the den when I ki-When he passed on." Kurama felt a bit shameful that he was about to say killed him to the pup. His eyes shut with anger, this pup reminded him too much of how alone he used to be at that age. It was killing him.

Kurama sighed, "I'm taking you to a new pack, where you won't be seeing us again. They'll be your new family."

Naruto's mood didn't change; his ears were down as was his tail. Kurama decided that was enough talk for now. They walked on in silence; the only time Naruto talked to Kurama was when he grew tired of walking. He'd ask to stop, but Kurama crouched down and placed Naruto on his back. These were the times the alpha would let Naruto ride on his back as he raced to the new pack's territory. The only time Kurama stopped their journey was when he had to hunt for Naruto; he was still too young to take anything down. Time was not lost though, because Naruto had to rest frequently since he was still young. They arrived into new territory as dusk approached, but they still had to travel in deeper to find the pack. It was at this time that Kurama had to sniff for where the pack could be. A few minutes passed before he picked up the scent of other wolves. It was faint, but a trail is a trail.

Kurama dashed through the dense forest following his keen nose to the wolves. Naruto watched longingly as the large wolf tracked down the others. It brought tears to his eyes again because his dad was supposed to teach him to track today. Naruto had noticed that each moment they got closer to the new pack, the more Kurama's tail would swish. It was around the middle of the night when Kurama finally managed to see multiple caves, and the scent was the strongest here. He grinned; he had found them at last. The alpha turned his head to see that the pup had fallen asleep curled up in Kurama's thick fur.

The large alpha rolled his eyes and walked over to the biggest of the caves. The alpha would surely be in there. Kurama stopped when he was a good twenty feet away and gave a low howl. He waited patiently for a sign that the alpha heard him. Moments later Kurama's ears picked up another low howl. Another alpha appeared out of the cave. His fur was white, his underside was dark red, and a tan stripe ran down his back. He looked like an elder by the way he walked. He slowly approached the newcomers; sniffing the intruders as was Kurama.

The elder wolf spoke, "What brings you here to our lands Kurama?" He asked taking a sitting position.

The large alpha reached behind him and pulled Naruto by the scruff of his neck and laid him on the cool ground rather gently.

"Him." Kurama said blandly.

The elder sniffed the young pup carefully. "What is a young pup from the Uzumaki pack doing here Kurama?" His old eyes narrowed at the large alpha. Kurama growled and turned away, not meeting the others hard gaze.

"The pack was killed, and he was the only one left, so I brought him here to live. I know your pack is big but you do have the most abundant sources of food to feed them all." The elder wolf glared at Kurama, then looked down at the pup and smiled sadly. He knew Kurama did this. He knew Kurama wanted revenge, but what surprised him was that he didn't kill the very last one.

"I will take him Kurama, but I better not ever see you or your pack again in my territory. You should have food now that you have the Uzumaki's place to live in." The elder said sternly tail raised and lips pulled back to reveal elongated canines. Kurama hmphed and turned to leave.

"Kurama. One more thing. What is his name?" The elder asked picking the young pup up. The alpha halted, and without looking back he uttered, "Naruto."

With that he raced off, never to be seen here again. The elder looked down and smiled at the pup in his jaws. '_Welcome to the Konoha pack, Naruto Uzumaki.' _The elder then walked back into his den with Naruto. When he was deep enough he placed the pup down carefully on his elevated rock. He then laid down next to Naruto, who snuggled up to the source of warmth. This made the elder smile as he rested his head on his paws and draped his tail beside Naruto. '_Tomorrow you will have a new caretaker, and I know just the wolf.'_

Ah Kurama (nine tails) has a soft spot for Naruto. Who will be Naruto's caretaker? All right so first chapter, rather lengthy, I don't really know if other chapters will be long like this or short but we shall see. I really hope that anyone who reads this likes it. I will make another chap when I can. Nezune Otoki signing out.


	2. New Family

Alright Chapter 2 New Family. I just got some great inspiration from the very first episode of Naruto. I've seen it so many times and every time I watch it, I tear up from the love.

So honestly I didn't think that this would catch on fast so I really appreciate everyone taking their time to reading this and reviewing it. It makes me happy and wanting to continue this story even more.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or its amazing characters, but this plot is mine.

That night Naruto got little sleep. He would groan and mutter in his sleep rather loudly; enough to wake the elder from his own slumber. The elder didn't complain though, instead, he would gently wake the pup and curl his fluffy white and red tail around him. This would calm Naruto down and put him gently back to sleep. The elder had done this quite a few times until the sun had risen. He sat up and stretched his tired body and made his way to the mouth of the cave.

The elder let out a big yawn and took in the serene sight of the forest. Dawn was a very peaceful time for the elder; fore soon it would be buzzing with the wolves and cries of other animals. Sighing in content the elder made his way back into the cave. He sauntered over to the sleeping pup and began nudging him awake while silently calling his name.

"Naruto…Naruto…Wake up Naruto." He nudged the pup some more earning some groans of protest.

"Nnn, dad just a few more minutes." Naruto said groggily as he covered his eyes with his paws.

The elder looked at Naruto with soft, sad eyes and nudged him a little harder. "Naruto, wake up, I have somewhere to take you."

Naruto sighed giving up on his sleep and opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed was that he wasn't in his warm, dirt den anymore, but in a cool damp cave. This startled the pup into a sitting position.

"Wh-where am I?" Naruto asked frantically. His head whipped back and forth as he looked around. When he turned behind him he let out a yelp and fell on his side.

"Ah! Who are you!? And where am I!?" Naruto asked. The elder gave him a sad look. He wasn't going to beat around the bush. He walked closer to the pup that was backing away and wrapped a paw around him; pulling Naruto close to him.

"You were brought here by a large wolf. Do you remember?" He asked softly. Naruto pondered for a moment looking into the elder's eyes.

"Hmmmm. Y-yea I do! He was bigger than dad." The pup said excitedly. Said wolf scanned around for his dad. "Say, where is he?" He was puzzled.

The elder gave him a frown. "I'm afraid you don't remember, but they're dead. The wolf that brought you here killed them, and then spared your life by bringing you here to my pack." He watched the pup's face carefully.

Naruto's eyes hardened in confusion. His parents weren't dead…right? He thought long and hard and saddened when he remembered something.

A Vision of his mom and dad lying on the ground lifeless in a pool of blood clouded his mind. He remembered it all. The giant wolves were there laughing and growling at him. The giant wolf that wanted to kill him, but didn't. He brought him here; where they wouldn't come back for him.

It had all come back to him. He thought it was only a terrible nightmare, and that his dad woke him up every hour to comfort him. Naruto's ears lowered as his eyes dulled. The elder smiled sadly and stood.

"Naruto of the Uzumaki pack, I hereby welcome you to your new home with the Konoha wolves." He said proudly.

'_Konoha wolves?' _Naruto new he heard that name somewhere before. Oh right!

"You're the largest wolf pack right?" The pup asked curiously. The elder nodded walking to the mouth of the cave again, with Naruto trailing behind him. The elder continued on walking with Naruto trailing alongside him.

"Where did you hear that young one? I doubt that the large wolf told you." He said skeptically.

Naruto shook his head slowly, "No, my dad told me. He said he'd take me to see them one day. He always said this pack had some of the finest wolves and trainers." He said sadly.

The elder ruffled the tiny head with his paw and chuckled. "Well now you will, this is your home now. You will be raised by a fine wolf and taught by the trainers when you're a little older. Then you'll stay with a sub pack within Konoha." The alpha explained.

Naruto tried listening, but was more interested in chasing the butterfly that had just crossed his path. The pup ran after it, pouncing when he thought he could catch it. The elder watched and sighed.

"This is going to be an interesting pup." He said walking onwards, greeting a few of the wolves that were out and about. When they passed these wolves Naruto began walking with his tail in between his legs and behind the alpha. The other wolves would stare at Naruto with curiosity and try to get near, only for the pup to whine and run in front of the elder. After a long walk passing strange, new wolves, Naruto found himself staring at a small cave. This cave was almost as big as the mouth of his old home.

The elder stood behind Naruto and ushered him into the cave. The pup fought a bit, not feeling comfortable with going into a strange cave first. The elder sighed and raised his tail high, displaying his dominance.

"Naruto walk into the cave it's going to be fine." He said a bit louder; just enough to get the pup to notice him and move. Naruto walked reluctantly into the cave with his head low to the ground and tail curled in between his legs; not paying attention to what was around him. A few seconds later he felt a tug on his tail. He didn't have time to look as he was pulled back by his tail lightly.

"Ouch, why did you do that?!" Naruto shouted. If the elder wanted him to stop he could have just told him to stop. The elder ignored his comment and barked. Naruto's ears flattened against his head at the sudden noise and shook his head. He was about to ask why he barked loudly when suddenly the pup saw the ground move. Frightened, Naruto ran to hide behind the elder's fluffy tail. He poked his head out when he heard a yawning noise.

He looked to see another wolf stretching.

"Elder, what brings you here so early?" The yawning wolf asked now standing. Naruto wasn't too comfortable with a strange wolf inside a dark cave.

"Come with me I have something to show you." The elder replied. He then calmly turned to step out of the cave. Naruto bolted out the cave and into the light before the other wolf could tell he was there. The elder slowly exited the cave with the other wolf trailing close behind him. Naruto crouched and raised his tail up to level with his body. The strange wolf didn't sound mean, but Naruto wasn't taking any chances.

"Elder?" The strange wolf asked.

When the elder moved aside so that the other wolf could be seen Naruto was surprised. This wolf wasn't a threat after all, he looked really nice. Naruto studied the wolf in front of him. This wolf had a dark brown stripe running down his back to his tail, tan fur, white paws running up mid arm and mid hind leg, and a white underside.

"Elder is this what you wanted me to see?" The wolf asked. The alpha nodded slowly and grinned as Naruto cautiously approached the wolf and began sniffing. The other wolf let the pup sniff him, and then took a few sniffs of the orange pup. Naruto confirmed that this wolf was a male, and when the wolf bent down Naruto could see black eyes, but the most unique quality about the male was the light brown scratch just below his eyes.

"This is Naruto Uzumaki. He is new to our pack, and I'm placing him in your care. Is that alright, Iruka?" The alpha said it more as a statement than a request, knowing that Iruka would already accept.

Iruka nodded, "Of course, I'll take good care of him elder." The elder nodded with a grin. Naruto was listening at first until another butterfly caught his attention. He immediately stalked his prey and tried to pounce the fluttering insect; forgetting all about the two wolves that were holding a conversation.

Iruka watched affectionately as the pup pounced about. He then turned back to the elder with a confused look on his face.

"But, why me elder? I'm sure there were more suitable choices than me." He stated, his ears drooping.

The elder chuckled, "You and Naruto have something in common Iruka. Naruto shares your pain, and you his. You two will bond more easily than you think."

The tan wolf seemed only more confused. "Kurama, Iruka. That should be all I have to say." With that the elder wolf left the scene to go rest in his den; meanwhile Iruka let the information sink in. His gasped softly and his eyes saddened.

He looked back at Naruto who was crawling to the butterfly with pained eyes. "Naruto…"

Iruka walked over to the now pouting pup and lay down on his belly in front of Naruto.

"Lost your prey eh Naruto?" He asked trying to get the pup to talk to him. Naruto looked up at him and nodded slowly. "…yeeeea it slipped from my paws." He said sulkily.

Iruka chuckled and placed a white paw on his head. "Don't worry you'll get the hang of it soon. All you need is practice." Iruka gave the new pup a genuine smile. This made Naruto beam and smile back. This wolf reminded him of his dad. Thinking of his dad melted his smile into a sad frown.

Iruka blinked at this and questioned him, "Naruto, is something bothering you?"

Naruto sulked, "No…" he turned his head the other way as his ears dropped down.

Iruka removed his paw and placed it on the ground. "Well you can tell me anything, I'll listen and try to understand." He said truthfully.

Naruto scoffed, "As if you would understand! You live here in the most amazing pack, where you can always have food, friends, and family! You have no idea how much it hurts, to actually lose your whole pack and family and almost get killed yourself!" Naruto sobbed loudly, letting his tears flow down like yesterday.

Iruka was heartbroken; he did know what that was like. He swiftly pulled Naruto close to his chest and rested his muzzle on the pup's head. Naruto's weeping didn't cease, so the older wolf nuzzled the pup much like a parent would to their own pup. Minutes passed as the loud weeping slowly ceased into silent sobs with sniffling; Iruka picked this time to say something.

"You know, you're not alone in this. Actually my parents were killed, by the same wolf that killed yours. I don't know if you know his name, but he was a large wolf with blood orange fur and blood red eyes that thirsted for power. His name is Kurama, and after he killed them…I had no one. No one would look at me or try to help me." His voice was beginning to crack up.

"Ku-rama?" The pup asked. Naruto was lost in a daze until he felt something on his nose. It was wet like rain, but smelled salty. He looked up at the older wolf to see tears leaking from his eyes. Naruto's heart sank.

'…_He does understand…'_ Naruto shed a few tears in shock and leaned up to his new caretaker and licked the traveling droplets. Iruka's eyes shot open in realization that the pup was licking his tears away affectionately. Iruka smiled sadly and pulled Naruto into his chest tightly with both paws. Naruto instantly cuddled into him and placed his own paws on the older wolf's neck and continued to sob. Iruka also sobbed, as he laid his head on the pup's back.

'_This is what the elder meant…by having something in common…Naruto…I promise to take care of you, as though you were my own pup.' _

They stayed together like that for a long time, just letting their pain out and being there for each other; unaware to them that in the bushes a white wolf smiled knowingly. "Just the wolf to raise you Naruto."

The white wolf walked off, leaving the two to bond. When Iruka finally pulled away he was happy, Naruto was smiling at him. Iruka licked the pup's tears away and in return Naruto licked his away. Just then a new butterfly came between the two; ensnaring Naruto's attention.

Iruka laughed when Naruto leaped from the older wolf's paws to chase the prey. He laughed even more when the orange pup missed his target and tumbled over on his back. The older wolf got up, trotted to Naruto, and crouched beside him.

Naruto watched to see what his caretaker was doing. The older wolf glanced over to Naruto and whispered, "You want to stay low to the ground Naruto."

Naruto made an o with his lips than copied Iruka's movements step by step. "Alright good, now keep your tail at level with your body. Good." The older wolf continued to praise the pup, hoping to teach him something.

Iruka moved slowly towards the butterfly Naruto had missed, keeping low to the ground. Naruto followed suit a little faster not used to this position. The older wolf's steps were slow and quiet; while Naruto's were quick and loud. Every time Iruka got close enough to pounce, the pup's loud paws made it flutter away to a new spot. Iruka halted and stopped Naruto's movements with his paw. The orange pup was confused, but looked up at his caretaker.

"When stalking, you must be quiet Naruto. Just watch me." Iruka whispered to the anxious pup. Naruto observed as the older wolf went low to the ground and slowly inched towards the butterfly. Naruto noted his tail was leveled and his steps were almost inaudible. A few seconds later Iruka ran up swiftly to the butterfly and pounced. Naruto was sure that Iruka missed by the way he was just standing there, but when Iruka turned around there was a smirk on his muzzle as he held the insect in his teeth by its wings.

"Whoa that was so cool! Let me try, let me try!" Naruto shouted excitedly, running up to his caretaker and jumping up and down. Iruka let the small insect go and laughed. "Alright, alright go get in position and show me what you got."

Naruto ran all the way back to where Iruka formally was while Iruka watched from the sidelines. The pup crouched down just like Iruka taught him. He then raised his tail to be leveled with his body. As soon as his tail was in place, he tried to combine all three and step lightly towards the prey. Iruka noticed he had quite a bit of trouble doing this, but that was to be expected of new pups, they needed lots of practice and encouragement; something Iruka was going to make sure Naruto got a lot of.

Naruto made his way noisily towards the butterfly, making it flutter to different locations. This made the pup pout, but he quickly shrugged it off and continued his stalking practice. When Naruto finally managed to get near the insect, he sprinted as fast as he could and leaped up to trap his prey. Naruto was grinning, this was it, he was going to catch it, but his grin faded.

In the last moment the insect fluttered away out of his reach, while he rolled onto his back again. The pup pouted and groaned; at this rate he wasn't going to catch anything soon. Iruka had seen what happened.

'_Naruto is being too loud, but he'll get the hang of it in a few days." _Iruka smiled at his thought; yes his pup would get better in no time. He trotted over to Naruto, who was still lying on his back and smiled.

"Don't worry Naruto, you'll get the hang of it. One thing you're going to want to work on really hard is to keep your steps silent and soft, but first you need to get use to keeping low and raising your tail; then work on your steps." Iruka went back to the sidelines and waited. "Do you want to continue training Naruto?" He asked.

Naruto grinned, "Heh Heh yeah! I wanna keep practicing until my limbs give out." The pup ran back to the starting point and set up his position. Iruka grinned, "He really is Minato's pup." He watched Naruto practice for hours. It was near noon when Naruto just couldn't crouch anymore; he laid on his belly panting from exhaustion. Iruka chuckled and walked over to him.

He nudged the orange pup, "Do you want to rest for a while?"He licked Naruto's head, trying to cool him down.

"Ye-yeah, I'm s-so exhausted, and so hungry." Iruka smiled and picked the pup up by the scruff of his neck and carried him to the cave, which was now Naruto's den, and settled him onto the cool rock in the back. The older wolf walked out of the cave and looked back to watch Naruto who had fallen asleep instantly. As soon as he knew the pup was in a deep sleep he left to find something for the pup to eat.

~~Later That Afternoon~~

Naruto had been in a deep slumber when he was awoken by something dropping near his sensitive ears. The pup's eyes shot open, lifting his head off the ground to look at whatever disturbed his sleep. What had dropped by him was a nice freshly killed, fat rabbit. Naruto stood up and lowered his nose to sniff the carcass; it smelled delicious. Naruto hesitated to take a bite, looking up at his caretaker.

"Don't you want some, Iruka sensei?" asked the pup. Iruka sat on the cool ground confused. "Sensei?" Although he was flattered that Naruto had used his name, but puzzled with the attachment of sensei.

Naruto nodded happily, "Yeah, you're teaching to stalk so, I'm going to call you Iruka sensei, but seriously don't you want any?"

Iruka was shocked, usually pups gobble without asking the older adults unless they where alphas or betas.

"Well don't you want it, I got it for you. I'll hunt later for something." Iruka said as he went lay down, but before he could even take a nap, the rabbit was placed next to his paws by Naruto.

He looked at the pup whose tail was wagging. "Eat with me Iruka sensei." The older wolf grinned and started to dig into the meat, as Naruto did the same. The two ate in silence, the only noise coming from the ripping of flesh and swallowing. The meal was gone all too soon, but it was satisfying enough for the two. The two wolves were currently lying down; Naruto curled up into Iruka's side. The older wolf draped his tail to cover the pup so he wouldn't get cold. When he was sure that Naruto was asleep, he licked the tiny, yellow head affectionately. The older wolf laid his head on his outstretched paws and closed his tired eyes.

Soon both fell into a deep slumber. Naruto only needed rest for training, but Iruka would have to hunt later with others for the pack so he needed as much rest as he could get. Minutes passed by as the pair continued to sleep, the sun slowly dipping into the west. Naruto seemed to be sleeping rather well, until he started to whimper and whine. The nightmares were back causing him to stir into his caretaker's side. The action had woken his caretaker, who lifted his head in a daze.

"….nhn…Naruto?" The older wolf looked over to his side to see Naruto whimpering. Iruka was worried, the orange pup's stirring only escalated as time went by.

'_He must be having a nightmare…poor thing.'_ Iruka's ear's lowered as he moved to gather the distressed pup with his teeth. Iruka pulled Naruto so he was resting in between his paws and chest. The orange pup seemed to calm down some; only whimpering and sniffling. The older wolf frowned, what else could he do? What would he have wanted someone to do when he was like this?

Iruka beamed as an idea came to mind and stuck out his long, pink tongue. He ran it along the top of Naruto's head slowly. He smiled when Naruto's whines slightly decreased; his idea was working. The older wolf dragged his long tongue from Naruto's head down his back in a reassuring manner. He did this for quite some time before Naruto's breathing evened out. When the older wolf was sure the pup was sleeping, he laid his head beside him. Naruto slept in the space between his caretaker's paws with his head nestling into Iruka's furry chest.

As he listened to Naruto's breathing, Iruka lay there in thought. _'This is going to be a long night. I hope he can handle himself while I'm out tonight.'_ Dusk had not come yet, but up until that time Iruka had comforted Naruto at least eleven times; each time with an instinct that almost seemed natural. When dusk had come, others wolves came out of their dens; stretching tired muscles and yawning. They would trot to other dens and gather their hunting team. Not too long after they assembled, the wolves soon neared Iruka's den. One entered the tan wolf's home and went over to nudge him.

"Nnn…wha?" Iruka lifted his head to see two different colored eyes staring at him. The tan wolf yawned and shook his head to rid himself of drowsiness. He looked down at Naruto and frowned, he'd have to leave him here alone while he hunted.

The other wolf noticed the pup and smiled slightly. "Iruka, he'll be ok, come on this hunt will be quick. There's a large, injured buck near here, all we have to do is take it down and bring it back here. Once we do you can come back and we'll take care of the rest of the hunting."

Iruka looked up to the male wolf with relief and rose carefully. He didn't want to wake Naruto from the temporary peace he seemed to be in. Iruka stretched his body and trotted behind the other wolf outside. The wolf that roused him from his sleep was the leader of the hunt, and Iruka's mate.

The wolf had dark blue fur, a white stripe from the tip of his nose running along his back to his tail, a green underside, white hind legs, blue tipped back toes, and white tipped front toes. Finally his eyes were two different colors; one was black while the other was blood red with three strange symbols around the pupil. This was Kakashi Hatake, one of the Konoha pack's finest hunters.

Kakashi threw his head back and howled as he led his team to the fallen animal. All sprinted quietly through the forest. They needed this kill; it was big enough for the pack to feed on if they caught a few smaller animals along with it. They sniffed the cool air frequently for the injured animal's blood. Once Kakashi skilled nose picked up the scent he howled again and dashed through the brush; his comrades right behind him. All the wolves' mouths seemed to water the closer they got to the buck. The wolves had the smell of the blood and meat on their minds, but Iruka's mind was elsewhere. He was hoping that the pup in his den would sleep and be alright.

Alright second chap done. I hope ya'll like it. I will get the next one up as soon as I can. What's next? Mingling! Naruto will be introduced to other pups in the pack. Let's see how that turns out. Nezune Out.


	3. Ignored

Sorry for the wait guys, I had been a bit busy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or its characters.

Thanks to all who read, like it, and review this story it makes me happy.

Ok chap 3 let's go

The orange pup had woken early the next morning to the peaceful sound of birds chirping. He opened his eyes groggily as he sat up to stretch. Upon doing so his nose picked up on the scent of blood and flesh. Naruto immediately turned to where the smell was originating from and smiled excitedly. There, a few feet away from him, were three rabbits lying on the ground about the size as the one Iruka caught him yesterday. Speaking of which, the pup looked around for the missing caretaker.

'_Iruka sensei. Where are you?'_ Looking behind him Naruto laughed, the older wolf was lying on the cool ground all stretched out and snoring. The snoring made Naruto laugh to where he fell over on his back.

The laughing was rather loud stirring the older wolf awake. "Huh…what's so funny Naruto?" He asked clearly confused.

"Heh heh you Iruka Sensei! Gee I didn't know you snore in your sleep." Naruto ran over to his caretaker to nuzzle him.

"I most certainly do not snore Naruto." Iruka pouted while his ears were drawn back in an annoyed state. Naruto only laughed more which brought a smile to the older wolf. He then leaned down to nuzzle his pup.

"You should eat Naruto we have to go somewhere after." He stated as he slowly stretched his tired body. He had hunted a little longer last night searching for food for Naruto.

Naruto shifted his gaze back and forth from the meal and his caretaker. "You're gonna eat with me right Iruka sensei?" Naruto asked, his tail wagging. Iruka let out a yawn and nodded slowly.

Naruto ran over to the meal excitedly and dug right in; stuffing his mouth full of red meat. Iruka was right by his side in a heartbeat smiling at Naruto. The two ate in silence as usual; Naruto snickering when a sliver of meat dangled from his caretaker's nose. Iruka would narrow his eyes at said piece of flesh and try to claim it with his teeth making Naruto laugh harder. It was only when the older wolf shook his muzzle did the sliver of meat relinquish his nose. When they were done devouring the meal, Naruto snatched up a rib bone and began biting it.

Iruka watched until he got an idea and clamped his large canines on one end of the rib. He then tugged softly on it making Naruto pull the rib to him. The two were now engaged in a playful game of tug o war. Both of their tails were wagging slightly as they each pulled the bone to them. After a while Iruka released the bone and let Naruto have it. The pup fell and rolled on the ground due to the sudden release from his caretaker's side.

Iruka laughed sauntering over to the pup and licked his head. Naruto's tail wagged again as he licked the older wolf's muzzle. "You ready to go Naruto?" The older wolf asked, as he started for the mouth of the small cave.

Naruto got up and shook his body from the dirt. Then he ran to his caretaker. "Yeah!" Naruto shouted excitedly. Iruka laughed heartily at the pup that was running in a circle around him eagerly. Naruto only stopped when Iruka jumped out of the circle and began trotting off. Naruto ran after him with his tail wagging.

When Naruto caught up to his caretaker he looked up at the older wolf with a smile. "Hey Iruka sensei, where are we going?" The pup asked curiously. "You'll see when we get there Naruto, be patient." Iruka smiled down at the orange pup. Naruto pouted, his ears drawn down. "Awwww come on Iruka sensei tell meeeee." He pleaded with his caretaker.

"No way, you'll just have to wait." Iruka said. Naruto pouted more and muttered a quiet fine. The older wolf's ears twitched at the response. Iruka chuckled and continued trotting. Naruto noticed that his caretaker was leading him away from the caves and into the forest. They didn't venture too far away from the caves though, because Iruka had soon stopped. Naruto curiously made his way in front of his caretaker only to come face to face with another wolf. Naruto backed away cautiously with his tail and ears down slightly.

He backed up until his rear met with white paws. Naruto's eyes were transfixed on the older wolf in front of him to notice that he backed into his caretaker. This wolf had a silver stripe running along its back to its tail, silver front paws and back toes. Its underside was green and white; while its main fur was blue.

Naruto looked up at his caretaker when he heard him speak. "Mizuki, I have a new pup to add to your watch today." Iruka then ushered Naruto with his nose towards Mizuki. "His name is Naruto."

The wolf known as Mizuki brought his head down to sniff at the nervous Naruto and smirked. "Hm, alright he can stay here and mingle with the others." The wolf said in a low voice. Iruka was a bit reluctant to let Naruto around others without him, but he knew his pup wouldn't warm up to others if he was present. He could smell the fear coming off of Naruto as he backed away from the pup. The slight whine from Naruto made Iruka's Heart ache, but he had to; Naruto needed to learn that he could play with other pups when Iruka was needed elsewhere.

Before Naruto could trail after him, his caretaker swiftly vanished in the woods. Naruto's ears and tail lowered with sadness. He was then startled from his sorrow when a shadow loomed over him. The pup spun his body around to see a smirking Mizuki.

"Come, the others are playing over here behind these bushes." Mizuki said before turning around and walking over to some bushes. Naruto reluctantly followed the older wolf through the bushes, and what Naruto saw when he poked his head through the leaves where eleven other wolf pups playing. Naruto was amazed, he was the only wolf pup in his pack so he had never seen or played with other pups before.

Naruto's lips curved up into a smile as he bound towards the others. Mizuki smirked as Naruto ran towards the pups and returned to his perch on a rock to continue his constant surveillance of danger. A few of the pups had turned their attention to Naruto when he skidded into a halt, making everyone else look at him too.

Naruto had stopped in front of a young, pink female wolf with white arms, a blue underside, haunches, and hind legs, and a brown stripe from her nose down her back to her tail that matched her eyes. He beamed a wide smile at her and introduced himself. "Hi! My name's Naruto Uzumaki! What's your name?" His tail wagged excitedly.

The pink female blinked her eyes in confusion. "Uhh..I'm TenTen…" She wasn't exactly interested in the bubbly new pup in front of her, but she decided to at least let him know her name. Naruto went to sniff her, but she jumped away and ran to a male pup. Naruto was confused. Didn't she want to sniff him as well? Naruto struggled to hear what TenTen was now whispering to the other wolf. The only words he caught were weird and loud. Naruto's ears drooped at the comments, but they perked right back up when another wolf passed by him.

"Hey I'm Naruto, what's your name?" He asked, his tail wagging low. This wolf was a male with pale gray fur, black paws that rose up his limbs a bit, light brown low on his hind legs, a dark brown stripe running down his back to his tail, and small white underside.

"…." Said wolf pup didn't say anything, he merely put a paw up to Naruto's chest to stop him from inching any closer. "…You almost crushed that beetle…You should watch where you step more carefully…" He said in a deep, low voice.

"Huh?!" Naruto scrunched up his face. Was this pup really worried about an insect? "Uhhh are you some kind of insect lover or something?" The silent wolf pup nodded, "Insects…are such fascinating creatures…" he stated nosing the insect with adoration. Naruto's face held a look of horror. This wolf creeped him out. Naruto backed away slowly, not noticing the other wolf pup sniffing behind him. Naruto yelped and rotated his body around to see another male pup. This pup had a smirk plastered on his face.

"So you're new here eh? Well I'm Kiba and that pup behind you is Shino; he's a bit of a bug fanatic." The wolf known as Shino growled at being called a fanatic making Naruto laugh loudly. Kiba also laughed taunting his friend more while Naruto observed him. Kiba had a brown stripe like Shino's running down his back and tail, gray fur, black paws, brown haunches and hind legs, red triangular patterns below his black eyes, and a white underside.

Naruto was brought out from his gaze by Kiba yelling at him. "Hey orange fur ball! Are you listening to me?" Naruto shook his head and narrowed his eyes. "Yeah I was!...uhhhh what were you saying?" Naruto asked. Kiba scoffed, "I asked you if you wanted to meet the rest of us. Tch man you're so slow."

Naruto growled, "I am not slow!" his tail was raised slightly while his ears were drawn back. Kiba's ears were plastered tightly against his head. "Geez you're so damn loud." Naruto scoffed and turned away from Kiba. '_I'm not loud…am I?'_ Naruto's melancholy thoughts were interrupted when a male voice, he didn't recognize, spoke. "Kiba forget him, I need a sparring partner and Lee is too worn out."

Naruto looked over to the owner of the voice to see a pale tan wolf pup, with a dark brown stripe running from his nose along his back to his tail, black haunches, dark brown paws, one dark brown hind leg, one white hind leg, a white underside, and two pale white eyes. Naruto growled low; for some reason this wolf pup made Naruto both angry and sad.

Kiba smirked at the tan pup. "Do you really want me to beat you Neji?" The pup dubbed Neji wore a hard glare, "Please, you wouldn't be able to surpass my strength Inuzuka." Neji drew his ears back and growled.

Kiba crouched down with his tail high above him. "Oh yeah. Well bring it on!" With that Kiba ran towards Neji who smirked and side stepped away from the other pup. Neji quickly struck and sank his small teeth into Kiba's back. Kiba yelped slightly and tried to shake Neji off of him. All the other wolf pups gathered to watch the battle, including Naruto, to see who would win. Kiba finally broke free of Neji's grasp and swatted at the tan pup's face. Said pup threw his head back; Kiba's claws narrowly missing his cheek. The crowd of wolves watched intensely, barking to cheer on the two fighters.

Kiba panted slightly as Neji ran around him in a circle; waiting for the gray pup to let his guard down. Kiba growled and kept low to the ground ready to pounce at any second. He barred his canines at Neji who smirked as he passed in front of him. Kiba took a chance and dashed to the tan pup only to be pinned to the ground on his back by a very swift Neji. The tan pup growled at Kiba with his tail raised high. Kiba looked up at the tan pup with a glare. Neji's growling increased in volume as he pushed the gray pup further into the grass below. It only took a few moments for Kiba to lower his head to the ground and whine in submission. Satisfied, Neji let Kiba up with a smirk.

"It's my destiny to be a strong alpha wolf, while you are destined to be a mere beta compared to me." Kiba glared at Neji and snarled, "Like I'd ever be in your pack, let alone submit to you. We have a long way to go before being adults Neji, and who knows maybe I'll be the alpha and you'll be the one submitting to me."

Neji humphed and strode over to TenTen who seemed very pleased. She nuzzled his muzzle and then gave it a lick. Naruto shook his head and scanned the pups to find someone he could be friends with. He frowned at two wolves that were sleeping. He then glanced over to one who was greedily chewing on a bone and shook his head again. There was another wolf just standing there looking at him. Naruto wagged his tail and took one step towards the pup, but when he did the pup shied away from him. Naruto let his sadness show; his ears were down as well as his tail. The next pup Naruto looked at was panting on the ground from exhaustion. _'That must be Lee.'_ Naruto thought before browsing the pups again.

Naruto shook his head in defeat. They didn't look like they were interested in anything, let alone him. When Naruto's eyes landed on the next pup, he smiled big. This wolf had a pink stripe running from its nose along its back to its tail, red fur that extended low on its haunches, white arms and hind legs as well as an underside, and its eyes were a pale green. Naruto sprinted over to the pup who looked shocked to see him. "Hey I'm Naruto wh—" "Quiet you, I'm trying to make sure I'm the first wolf that Sasuke sees when he wakes up from his nap." The female said glaring at Naruto. "Hah! As if he'd even want to waste his time with a pup like you and that huge forehead of yours Sakura." Another female said striding over to them.

Sakura growled weakly. "Oh yeah?! Like he'd want anything to do with a hog like you Ino!" she snarled, baring her canines. Naruto observed as Ino and Sakura growled and called each other rude remarks. The other female had purple fur extending to her haunches, a white underside, a pale blonde stripe running along her back to tail, pale blonde hind legs and front arms, purple tipped toes, pale blue eyes, and white around mid front arms. His blue eyes dulled, every pup Naruto talked to ignored him. He looked over the collection of pups and sighed sadly. This was a dumb idea; they obviously didn't want him here. Naruto slowly made his way over the area where the two sleeping pups that he eyed before were. One was on a small rock while the other lay on its stomach beside the rock. The sad pup sat down beside the rock and slowly laid down. He curled into a ball and stared blankly at the blades of grass that were within his sight. Naruto exhaled and closed his eyes; he wanted this day to be over quick, so that he could be with his caretaker.

'_At least he cares about me.' _ Naruto thought before letting sleep claim him. Sleep did not come easily for little Naruto though. His ears would swivel to any sounds that the other pups would make; keeping him alert and awake. His sensitive ears evened picked up the shifting sounds of the pup on the rock. Naruto wanted so badly to play with them, but they didn't want him there.

"What are you doing here?" The voice sounded very close. Naruto jerked his head up to where the noise came from. There looking down at him was a dark blue male, wolf pup with a black stripe running along his back to his tail, a white underside and haunches, white hind legs and lower front legs, coal black eyes and blue paws. Naruto placed his front paws on the rock and elevated himself to get a better look at the pup. Naruto was intrigued by this wolf pup. The other pup scowled and sniffed at Naruto a couple of times. Naruto did the same until the pup's voice called out to him again.

"Hey moron, I don't have all day, what are you doing here?" Naruto beamed at the pup despite being called moron. "I'm—" "SASUKE!" Naruto was interrupted by two shrieking voices that made his ears plaster to his head. The pup looked over to see who it was, but was trampled over on by the two females arguing earlier.

Both were beside the rock on top of Naruto's back with their tails wagging and ears perked up as they swooned over the blue pup. Naruto grumbled in irritation. What was so great about this pup anyway, he was just like the others, hell he was just sleeping! The pup the girls called, Sasuke, looked pretty annoyed that they were even near him. Sakura smiled at Sasuke and swished her tail like she had something to say.

"Ummm Sasuke I." the red female shyly turned her flushed face away when Sasuke turned his attention to her. Gathering up her courage, Sakura faced him again with new confidence in her voice. "Sasuke I was wondering, will go for a walk with me tonight near the lake?" She asked hopefully. Ino scoffed while Naruto mumbled in the dirt. No matter how much he tried to get the females attention, they didn't hear him.

The two waited patiently for Sasuke's answer. The blue pup kept his face blank as stood up and stretched. "No." He said emotionlessly. Sakura's face fell as she muttered, "Oh…well maybe some other time." Her ears lowered down as Ino snickered. "Watch and learn forehead." Ino said smugly.

"Oh Sasuke." Ino strutted closer to the rock, her paws now on Naruto's head, with her chest puffed out. She put on her most seductive face and pose leaning over the rock. "Won't you come with me for stroll though the Konoha tunnel?" Sakura was fuming with anger. '_Grrrr! How dare she try to take Sasuke from me!'_ Sasuke turned to the purple pup with the same emotionless expression before and replied, "No." Ino hmphed and stuck her nose up high like a spoiled brat. Naruto growled softly, he had enough of this and started wriggling around. The movements caused Sakura and Ino yelp as they tumbled on to the soft grass.

"Gah! Finally! I thought I was going to pass out." Naruto panted and shook his body. Sasuke watched the new pup with some interest in his eyes. Who was this pup? Where did he come from? Sasuke knows he never saw this pup in the pack before. Sasuke leaped down from his perch to approach Naruto.

Naruto's ears twitched when they heard a thud. He turned his head and came face to face with Sasuke. Naruto yelped backing away from the other. Sasuke rolled his eyes and took a few steps closer to the orange pup.

"As I asked before, what are you doing here?" Sasuke sat down and waited patiently. Naruto regained his composure and gave a wide smile. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki! And I was brought to this pack by a huuuuuuuge wolf. So this old wolf brought me to Iruka sensei and I stay with him now. Iruka is so nice to me, and then he took me here to play with you guys." Naruto's smile melted into a frown while his tail and ears lowered dejectedly.

Sasuke was confused by Naruto's now gloomy expression. "Why do you look so rejected?" Sasuke asked calmly. The sad pup broke from his train of thought and shook his head. "Uhh no reason…hey will you play with me?" Just like that the smile was back and Naruto's tail was wagging. Sasuke was no fool, there was something that was on Naruto's mind, but he'd let it slide just this once.

Normally Sasuke wasn't the playing type but maybe some friendly rough housing would interest him. "Hn, how about some rough housing?" The blue pup was crouched and wagging his tail slightly.

"What's rough housing?" Naruto was confused; he never had other pups play with him before. The only playing Naruto did was trying to catch his mom and dad's tail.

Sasuke growled in slight annoyance. "Don't tell me that you haven't rough housed before." Naruto scowled, "I-I have it's just…my pack didn't call it that." Naruto gulped when Sasuke eyed him suspiciously.

"Fine then, what do you call it?" Naruto became nervous a he thought for a moment, "Uhhh it's uhhh tackling! Yeah tackling! Heheh." Naruto quickly took a crouching position just like the pup in front of him. Sasuke hned and jumped at Naruto with a growl. Naruto followed the pup with his eyes before standing up to catch him. Sasuke collided with the orange pup; rolling them on the grass. The depressed females gasped as Naruto playfully bit Sasuke's ear.

"Hey get off of Sasuke Naruto!" Sakura yelled at Naruto; growling. Ino growled as well gaining the attention of the other wolves. Naruto was oblivious to the growling; his mind was only on the pup that was willing to play with him. Naruto released Sasuke's ear and jumped onto the blue pup's back. Sasuke tried to shake him off. When the orange pup wouldn't budge, he whipped his head around to grab at Naruto's tail with his teeth.

Naruto yelped and was dragged off of Sasuke's back by his tail. Naruto was suddenly pinned by the other pup. In the background the barks of cheering for Sasuke could be heard as he growled at the new pup. Naruto growled playfully and pushed away at Sasuke's chest with his paws. Said pup smirked at Naruto's weak attempts and nipped at his drawn back ears. Naruto wriggled around to escape the pup's hold on him, but Sasuke was stronger than him. Naruto growled in frustration; using his hind legs he finally pushed Sasuke off of him. He fled so he wouldn't get pinned again by Sasuke, who just stood there. Naruto was puzzled, wasn't Sasuke going to go after him again? The blue pup smirked and shook his body to rid his fur off the dirt and grass.

Naruto panted and pawed at his ear. The pups that watched the scene disbanded back to what they were previously doing except for Ino and Sakura. They continued to watch Sasuke with admiration. Sasuke ignored them and walked over to Naruto.

"I may have won, but I'm shocked that you managed to even get out of my hold." Naruto smirked. "Heh Heh I'm not so easy to hold down." Sasuke hned and drew closer to where he was in front of the orange pup. Naruto backed up on instinct and bumped into something soft. The soft object moved and yawned. The object was the other wolf pup that had been sleeping by the rock. With its nap disrupted the pup abruptly sat up, but upon doing so it's back collided forcefully with Naruto's rear.

"Ah!" The action sent Naruto right into Sasuke. Both Sakura and Ino gasped at the sight and screamed. The pup that sent Naruto into Sasuke seemed confused and turned around to behold what got the females stirred up. Naruto's nose was pressed up against Sasuke's own nose. Sakura and Ino's screams echoed through the woods; causing the other wolf pups including Mizuki to look over and also observe the scene. Most of the pups snickered while others gasped in shock.

Both Naruto and Sasuke's eyes held horror as they swiftly pulled away; making gagging noises. Naruto was shaking and blushing. '_Ahhhh seriously why did my first nosing have to be with a male?'_ His mind replayed the scene over and over again. Just thinking about it made his cheeks hot. He looked back over at Sasuke who was turned away from him. Naruto's tail and ears lowered. Now he lost the only wolf pup that would probably ever play with him. He hung his head low and ran over to Mizuki who was resting on an elevated rock. What Naruto didn't see was the tint of pink that dusted Sasuke's cheeks.


	4. Demoted

**Sorry it took so long, I originally was going to update yesterday, but things got in the way of revising and posting this. Once again sorry.**

**Ok so I really want to thank everyone who takes the time to read this and the reviews. The reviews equal extra fuel to write this story, so they are loved and appreciated greatly.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or its characters.**

**Chap 4 let's go!**

Naruto was thoroughly embarrassed as he dashed over to Mizuki. The older wolf smirked down and taunted the flushed pup. "Well Naruto, I didn't know you were interested in males, let alone Sasuke Uchiha." The pup's head shot up with wide eyes. "I-I'm not interested in males! Especially not Sasuke!...I-I just met him, and...he's my friend sort of…" Naruto's cheeks were painted red; this was the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to him.

Mizuki chuckled and nudged the pup closer to him with a paw. "I'm sooo very convinced." Sarcasm evident in his voice. Naruto pouted and nipped at the watcher's paw. Mizuki laughed as he playfully trapped the pup under his paw. Mizuki watched in amusement as the pup struggled to crawl his way out. However the pup's efforts proved futile, Naruto could not escape. After a few more attempts of escape, Mizuki raised his paw and let Naruto dash off.

Naruto panted; turning back to the watcher. "Man you're heavy, I don't understand how any wolf could have gotten away from you!" Mizuki rolled his eyes and scanned the area quickly. _ 'Pups. So weak and helpless it makes me sick.'_ Naruto walked off and found himself near the other pups again, but this time they all stared at him like he was wrong for being near them. His ears drooped down as well as his tail when he saw their hard glares. Naruto opened his mouth to say something, but one of the pups beat him to it.

"You idiot! Thanks to you Sasuke went home!" Ino shouted, snarling at Naruto. The orange pup flinched letting out a whine. At that time Sakura jumped in. "You just had to show up didn't you? You ruined everything Naruto!" Her tail raised she took a threateningly step closer to Naruto making him back up and whine louder.

He slowly glanced up at the other wolf pups to see that most were observing, while a few glared at him. Naruto could feel the tears well up in his eyes as they continued to insult and scold him. Both Sakura and Ino were frustrated and angry at the new pup, so they decided to take they're verbal abuse even further.

Naruto yelped as he was suddenly knocked to the ground by the purple female. Sakura joined her; running to him and began biting him harshly. They were soon joined by Neji, who snarled and bit at Naruto's neck. The other pups watched as Naruto was beaten and battered. The forest was soon filled with the pained whines and howls of Naruto. Although Sakura and Neji didn't bite the pup hard enough to make him bleed, it would leave visible bruises.

"That should teach you, omega." Ino muttered to him. She strutted away from the fallen pup whimpering in pain. Sakura growled at him, causing the pup to flinch and curl into submission without a fight. She smirked and trotted off somewhere to play, leaving the others to take in the sight of Naruto.

Neji smirked, "Looks like it's your destiny to be an omega, moron." TenTen smirked and followed Neji who began to leave. The rest of the pups looked over at Naruto who did not seem to get up. One pup looked at the rest of them. "Well should we go see if he is ok?" Kiba shook his head.

"No, we should leave him." Kiba started to leave, but he was pulled back roughly by his tail. Kiba yelped, "Ow! Hey what was that for Shino?" The insect lover glared at his friend.

"…We should at least see if he's breathing Kiba…he's new here…and he didn't need to be demoted because of Shikamaru's action." The pup, Shikamaru, sighed. "Man what a drag. I didn't know he was behind me."

Kiba shook his head. "He wouldn't fight back, Sakura, Ino, TenTen, and Neji will take everything out on him now, because they know they can get away with it. Neji hates him already, and I'm not too fond of him either; he's so loud and obnoxious."

"Kiba…you're loud and obnoxious." Shino scowled at Kiba who was walking away. The gray pup turned around and growled at Shino. "I am not!" Shino's ear drew back against his head from the loud outburst. He sighed and started trailing after Kiba who dashed off.

Before Shino walked any further he looked back at another pup that shyly went to Naruto's side. He watched as the pup sniffed at Naruto. The pup's tail wagged; a sign that Naruto was alive. '_At least he's breathing and alive.' _ Shino was glad that someone went to check on him, but his relief soon turned to worry when the pup tried to help Naruto up. He quickly called out, "Hinata, I wouldn't do that if I were you…the other four will come back and do to you what they did to him, and I know that you can't fight them off. If you submit you'll be an omega who will get picked on and beaten down daily. You wouldn't want that and neither would I or Kiba." The last female looked down at Naruto sadly and retreated to Shino's side. The last of the pups followed Shino and Hinata without a word with; leaving Naruto on the ground curled up in a ball.

Naruto lay there on the ground in pain, his whines morphing into soft whimpers. '_Why?...why me? I didn't even mean to do it just….happened…'_ The pup laid there, tears trickling down his cheeks onto the grass below. Naruto sniffed around to confirm that he was alone; the pups were gone. Naruto moved his sore limbs under him, whimpering from the pain. He struggled to lift himself off the ground, and when he finally managed to do so he sniffled; slowly wiping the tears with a yellow paw. As Naruto wallowed in pain and sorrow he didn't notice the figure slowly approaching him from behind.

"Oh poor Naruto I saw the whole thing." Naruto gasped, and slowly turned his head to see the watcher staring at him with a look of sympathy. "Them attacking you out of anger and frustration, you being demoted to an omega, them leaving you here in the dust." Mizuki sat down behind the broken pup and with a paw pulled Naruto close to him. When his body met with the warmth of the older wolf Naruto let the tears fall freely; no longer holding back his sobs. Naruto missed the evil grin that was plastered on Mizuki's face as he buried his muzzle into the watcher's body

The older wolf leaned down to make sure Naruto could hear him and spoke. "You do know what this means right? They don't care about you; you're nothing more than something for them to relieve their tension with. If they ever come to you, all they will want is to take everything out on you."

Naruto froze and pulled away from the comfort; letting everything sink in. Mizuki smirked at the horror displayed on the pup's face and continued, "You know they were all happy little balls of fur, until you came along and disrupted the peace. Because of you they're full of mixed emotions, and now that you're an omega you must let them take it out on you, after all, it is your fault Naruto."

Naruto's head hung low in shame. He was responsible for making everyone upset. The pup stood shakily on his paws, staggering his way home. Mizuki smirked to reveal sharp canines and watched as the pup struggled to walk through the forest. '_He'll be devoured in no time, he won't make it home to dear Iruka.'_ The watcher chuckled and strode over to where the other pups were so that he could watch the remaining pups.

Meanwhile, nearby hidden inside a hollow tree log, two different colored eyes had watched the scene play out. The eyes narrowed and a low growl was heard. The figure the eyes belonged to was a very angry wolf. The wolf skillfully exited the log and went to report to the elder what he had witnessed. The elder would not like this, but there was another wolf that would also not like the news. The wolf crouched to the ground and sniffed around for Naruto's scent. When the wolf picked up the scent he dashed off; hoping to find the pup before something bad could happen. Thankfully it didn't take long to find Naruto. Due to his injuries he was too sore to walk properly and was limping very slowly. The wolf kept a close watch on the pup; checking constantly for any sign of danger. While looking in the opposite direction, the wolf's ears swiveled back to Naruto. His ears picked up a small thud, causing his head to jerk in the direction of the pup. There Naruto lay down on a tree root. '_He must have_ _collapsed from his injuries_.'

The wolf quickly rushed over to him and lifted the unconscious pup by the scruff of his neck. The wolf darted through the woods back to the Konoha caves. He did not pay attention to the other wolves' confused expressions as he weaved through the pack. Soon the wolf came to a path dashed up; he needed to get to the top of the largest cave. Once at the top the elder came into view. He was sitting near the edge keeping a watchful eye over his large pack. Naruto was then placed gently on the rock as the wolf slowly approached the alpha.

"Kakashi, who have you brought to me?" the elder asked. Kakashi sat down by the unconscious pup looking down at him before he answered. "Naruto, elder." The elder did not turn around. "Tell me what happened." Kakashi nodded.

"Elder, Mizuki has been neglecting many of his duties as an omega. Just as you feared he does not watch the pups as seriously as he should. He sleeps while they play and doesn't realize when they venture off. Not only that, but he did not keep an eye on Naruto when he was introducing himself to the other pups. I'm afraid that he also allowed Naruto become the omega in the pups group."

The elder narrowed his eyes. "Is there more?"

"Yes. I've been keeping a watchful eye on them all. Naruto had some trouble being accepted into the little group, and when he found someone to play with an accident occurred. Apparently it was bad enough for a few pups to gang up on him and fight. Naruto submitted without fighting back and cowered to the ground. The others left him; that's when Mizuki came with false comfort. He simply told Naruto that he disrupted the happiness of the other pups and that he only created stress for them. The only thing Naruto knows now is that he must take whatever beating they give him, since he now believes that they're stressed out because of him."

The elder remained where he sat; his back still facing Kakashi. "Hmm it seems that Mizuki wanted another to share his pain of being an omega, and Naruto just so happened to be that wolf." He said sadly. The elder was deep in thought when suddenly, an idea came to him.

He cocked his head to the other wolf. "Kakashi, I have something to ask of you." The blue wolf nodded, "Yes elder?"

"When the time comes for sub groups, would you choose Naruto as one of the three you will be keeping? You can choose any two other wolf pups that you would like, but Naruto needs this training and why not from the best of the best? For him to no longer be an omega, he needs to be able to fight back when he is challenged by an alpha." The elder looked over at an eager Kakashi and chuckled.

"Well I was going to ask Iruka to move into my cave, so I'm pretty sure he would've brought Naruto any way. I'll make sure I go first so that I can pick Naruto." Kakashi said. He then picked the pup that was still unconscious up and started down the path back to Iruka's cave.

"Oh Kakashi, one more thing." The elder quickly called out. Kakashi halted and turned his head to face the elder once more. "Tell the other three that it'll only be a week before you take the pups." The blue wolf nodded in understanding before taking off again. The elder watched him leave before sighing, "What am I going to do with you Mizuki."

It didn't take long for Kakashi to reach Iruka's cave. The wolf peaked inside the mouth to see that his mate was not resting in the cool cave. _'He must have gone out for now. I guess I should stay until he gets back.' _With that thought Kakashi strolled to the deepest part of the small cave and gently placed Naruto down on his stomach. The blue wolf then sauntered over to the mouth of the cave and laid down. He would keep watch until Iruka got back.

'_Should I tell him? Well if I don't then he'll wonder why he's back so early. Then again I could just tell him that Naruto fell asleep after tiring himself out. No, he'll see right through me and I wouldn't want Iruka to be mad at me for lying or not telling him about Naruto.' _Kakashi sighed. _'I guess I'll just have to tell him.'_

It wasn't until a few hours later that Iruka returned to find his mate lying at the mouth of his cave with a sullen look in his eyes. "Kakashi, what are you doing here at this time of day? Shouldn't you be resting for when you need to hunt again?" The tan wolf asked drawing closer to the other.

Kakashi stood up and went to nuzzle his confused mate. Iruka smiled and rubbed his muzzle against Kakashi's cheek. "What? I can't just drop by and check on you once in a while?" Iruka gave him a 'what are you hiding from me' look, making the blue wolf laugh suspiciously. The tan wolf sat down ready for an explanation, his tail flicking back and forth.

Kakashi's head lowered as he sighed, "Alright, I'm here because I brought Naruto back." He lifted his head back up to see Iruka utterly confused.

"Was he ready to come home? Wait! Did he get lost?!" Kakashi watched his mate become hysterical. He yipped to get Iruka's attention again. Once Iruka was listening again, he told the tan wolf the rest of what had happened. Iruka's breathing became rapid and unsteady. How could Mizuki do this, but then again, it was his own fault. Iruka's ears flattened against his skull as he lowered his head in guilt.

"It's my fault, I told I'd take care of him and look what happened. I brought him to someone that doesn't even want to help this pack." Iruka whispered, his voice cracking near the end. Kakashi stepped closer to his mate resting his head on the other's neck to comfort him.

"You know that's not true. You didn't know that Mizuki would let that happen and make him feel like that. I wasn't aware either until I witnessed it." Kakashi pulled Iruka closer to his furry chest. The tan wolf in his chest sniffled slightly trying to calm down. Kakashi grasped Iruka's ear in his jaws and tugged lightly. The action seemed to comfort the younger wolf, making Kakashi smile happily.

After a while of being comforted by his mate, Iruka pulled away and looked into the cave with a sullen look. "What am I going to do?"

The blue wolf rested a paw on Iruka's back, making the other turn to him again. "Well there is something we can do. Don't tell him this, but when the time comes for the choosing of sub packs I'm going to go first to pick Naruto. Then I'll be able to train him to fight back."

Iruka's sorrowful eyes lightened up at that. "You would really do that?" He asked, his tail wagging in bliss. Kakashi smiled slightly and nodded, "Of course, I don't like to see you sad." The tan wolf licked his mate's muzzle in grattitude. Kakashi's tail wagged as he brushed his black nose against his mates'.

The blue wolf turned to go, but before he did he ushered Iruka into the cave. "Get some rest alright?" The young wolf nodded, "Ok." Kakashi then sprinted off to go have a nap of his own; dusk would be approaching soon and he needed to rest a bit before leading the hunt tonight. The tan wolf padded over to Naruto quietly; not wanting to wake the pup and studied his body. Iruka then lowered his head to sniff out Naruto's condition. He sighed in relief; there were no signs of blood or infection. A flat, pink tongue snaked out of the wolf's mouth, and gently ran along Naruto's body.

Iruka would cringe and his ears would lower when Naruto would groan in pain. When the older wolf was satisfied he laid himself down behind Naruto with his paws on either side of the orange pup. Iruka laid his head down to drift off. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep, but when he did the sun had dipped into the horizon.

It was late at night when Naruto finally came to. He opened his eyes slowly and moved to get up, but he was still sore and groaned in pain when he tried to move. Not wanting to hurt himself even more, he laid his head back down on the cool ground and decided to examine the star lit sky from the small cave. Naruto frowned. _'Looking up at those stars reminds me of dad…'_ The pup exhaled a deep breath and tried to connect the star lights into a picture.

"…Naruto." The pup's ears twitched. He swiftly lifted his head; cringing from the pain and looked around for the source of the whisper. After a few seconds of silence he heard it again, this time near the entrance of the cave. Naruto peered at the mouth of the cave and growled low when he saw a shadowy figure standing there. The pup only stopped when his nose picked up a familiar scent.

Naruto sniffed again, and immediately his ears submerged. He didn't feel like being humiliated anymore, especially by Sasuke. The intruding pup surveyed his surroundings before stepping quietly into the cave. Naruto tried to shrink until he was invisible, but Sasuke only came closer and closer.

When Sasuke was close enough he bent his head down and whispered to the nervous pup. "Come on, let's go." Naruto was puzzled. "Huh? W-why?"He whispered. Sasuke sighed, "Just come with me."

Saying nothing more, he quickly exited the cave with skill that wowed Naruto. The pup closed his gaping mouth and eyed his caretaker beside him. The pup hoped he would be back before the older wolf would awaken and notice he was missing. Naruto carefully crawled out of Iruka's arms that barricaded him, and with careful steps Naruto soon found himself outside the cave with Sasuke. The blue pup started walking, expecting Naruto to follow. Naruto gave a confused look."Ummmmm."

Sasuke looked back at the pup. "Are you coming or what?" He noticed that Naruto seemed a little wary of following him. He frowned, what exactly happened after he left? "Huh? Oh y-yeah, coming." Naruto was a bit reluctant to follow the other pup, but he did anyway. '_I still want him to be my friend, even if he hates me now.'_ As they walk onwards, Sasuke continued to draw closer to the giant trees around them.

It was then that Naruto realized that Sasuke was leading him into the woods, a place he really didn't want to venture into again. His paws were glued to the ground; he didn't want to go in to the place he got hurt in earlier. Sasuke's paw neared the first tree into the forest when he noticed he could no longer here Naruto's padding behind him. He looked behind to see the pup staring at the woods; frozen with fear.

'_What the hell?'_ "Naruto?" The pup back tracked to where Naruto was and tapped him on the back with a paw. Naruto yelped, "Ack! Sasuke—"

Naruto couldn't finish his sentence, because two blue paws were covering his muzzle. "Shhhh! Quiet you moron. You wanna wake up the entire pack?!" Sasuke quietly shouted; growling softly. Naruto flinched; he didn't want to get beaten again for his stupid mistake. Sasuke's growling ceased when Naruto whined. Did he think that he would hurt Naruto? Maybe in a spar, but never for no reason. Sasuke released Naruto's muzzle.

The orange pup rubbed his muzzle with a paw. "Let's go." Sasuke tried again, walking slow to make sure Naruto would follow. The orange pup starred at the other in horror, "W-why in there?" Sasuke ceased his movements and turned to face Naruto. "There's something I want to show you, and it's through here now come on."

Naruto eyed Sasuke cautiously. The blue pup didn't seem hostile, but Naruto noticed that he seemed rather cold to him and the other wolf pups. '_But in a way, he was actually nice to me. Nicer than the other pups at least.'_ That thought alone sent Naruto a warm feeling throughout his body. It drove him to take a chance and venture into the forest with the Uchiha. The blue pup smiled slightly when Naruto's eyes shined with joy again. The orange pup shyly joined Sasuke at his side. They then treaded through the woods with Naruto closely following him.

It took a while to get through the thick woods, but they finally managed to reach their destination. When Naruto emerged from the bushes he gasped. There before him was a small waterfall that cascaded down into a tremendously, beautiful lake. Naruto ran to edge of the bank to get a better look and gazed at the water in awe. It was so clear that you could see the fish swimming around.

"Was it worth treading through the forest?" Naruto looked up to see Sasuke right beside him; smirking. He smiled brightly. "Yeah, it's so pretty out here." His smile quickly melted into a frown and fear wracked his nerves.

Sasuke sniffed him and frowned, "What's with you?" He began to circle the frightened pup. "You were scared of going through the forest and now you're shaking with fear. Do you now fear me?"

Naruto replied quickly, "No, just please…make it quick, don't make me suffer by drowning me." He choked on his last word as the tears started to flow down his cheeks. Sasuke's face held a look of confusion. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"What the hell are you talking about?" He asked calmly. "Why would you even think I brought you here to kill you?" He stopped his circling so that he was in front of the other pup.

Naruto's tears slowed down gradually. Now he was confused, "Huh?" The baffled pup sat down; his ears submerged as he explained, "You know, after the incident earlier today?" He shifted his head to the left. His cheeks burned with embarrassment at the mention of the nosing that occurred that early morning. Sasuke's eyes grew big, and a blush soon stained his cheeks as well. He had remembered it, but he also remembered it being an accident. '_A very nice accident.'_ Sasuke quickly shook that thought away and spoke, "What about earlier today?"

Naruto swallowed the lump in his throat, his tail flicking nervously. "Well aren't you mad at me?" His eyes were glued to ground as he asked slowly. "No. It wasn't your fault. Shikamaru bumped you into me." Sasuke said sitting down as well.

Naruto was taken aback. He broke his gaze with the ground and found Sasuke's coal, black eyes again. "But, why did you leave then?" He asked hastily.

"I left because Sakura and Ino kept insisting that I rub noses with them to wipe your scent off of me."Sasuke seethed. Naruto's eyes were wide. So it really wasn't his fault that Sasuke left? The pup sighed; he felt extremely relieved that he wasn't the cause of the blue pup leaving. Sasuke noticed the other pup's collective sigh of relief and grew even more curious about Naruto's strange behavior.

"Naruto, tell me, what happened after I left." He asked, resting his head down on his paws. This was probably going to be a long story.

"Oh uhhhh nothing really, Sakura and Ino were devastated, but I uhhh played with the others." Naruto laughed nervously.

Sasuke wasn't amused. He gave the pup an 'I don't believe you look' and waited for Naruto to spill the real story. Said pup fidgeted and sighed, "Fine…I was lying. I got yelled at, and demoted to an omega." Naruto was so embarrassed that he couldn't lock eyes with Sasuke as he told him the truth.

"…" The orange pup was growing anxious; Sasuke had been silent. Naruto summoned up the courage and glanced up to see Sasuke gazing down at him with a scowl.

Naruto gulped, "Sasu—" "Naruto I want you to tell me everything that happened after I left." Sasuke said angrily.

**That's it for this chapter. Poor Naruto :( **

**I'll update as soon as possible for the next chapter.**


	5. The Same

**Ok so I was sick this week and let's just say I needed bed rest like crazy. I tried to type when I could while I wasn't feeling good, but I wouldn't get far, because I'd feel crappy or tired again, so this is why this chap took so long to get done. I apologize for the wait.**

**Thank you all for the reviews and faves it really helps and is very appreciated.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or its characters.**

**Chapter 5 let's go**

Naruto starred at the enraged wolf pup before him with a shocked expression. Why did Sasuke want to know what happened so badly, and why was he so angry? Naruto reluctantly agreed, "Ok." His eyes trailed away from Sasuke's as he told the story.

"It all happened so fast, I ran over to that older wolf after what happened and when I came back everyone was watching me in weird way. Then Sakura and Ino started yelling at how it was my fault that you went home. After that, I guess they knocked me down and started biting me; I think they caught me off guard. Then some other wolf joined in too, biting me and pushing me into the dirt hard, but I didn't fight back. I couldn't fight back; I wasn't even in a good position to attack. I guess that other wolf was some future alpha, because I was called an omega afterwards." Naruto said sadly.

When Naruto finished he heard Sasuke growl louder this time. The orange pup was a bit intimidated by the other, but he decided to ask anyway. "Why did you want to know so badly Sasuke?" Said pup turned to Naruto and upon seeing the pup's frightened expression he calmed down instantly; composing himself before speaking. "Because it's not right that they demoted you to an omega because of an accident." He hesitated saying that last part as he closed his eyes. Sasuke could already feel the burning sensation from embarrassment creep on his cheeks again.

Naruto was astonished, Sasuke was actually concerned for him? That simple notion made Naruto smile. Sasuke looked back at Naruto to see him sporting a smile. He gave a faint smile back as Naruto flashed a toothy grin at him; giggling blissfully.

The Uchiha pup raised a paw to Naruto's eyes and wiped away the tears that leaked out. "Idiot,Well at least we've settled this confusing situation. Now, do you want to tackle?" Smirking he stood up and took a crouching position.

"Ummm s-sure." Naruto's voice sounded hesitant and Sasuke picked up on it. "Hn, you seem a bit unsure about sparring." The blue pup sniffed at Naruto, checking for any signs of blood or infection.

"I-I'm fine, I came out here didn't I?" Naruto said his ears drawing back from the closeness of Sasuke.

"Moron you must be sore or injured; otherwise you would have already crouched down like before." Naruto pouted, his eyes narrowing at the fact that he was caught. When Sasuke found nothing he searched for scratches and puncture wounds. Once again there were no signs of anything serious; the only thing Sasuke gathered from all of this were the three scents lingering on Naruto's body.

Sasuke frowned and growled. He knew the scents of the pups that attacked Naruto, and he would do something about it later when he had the perfect chance. "Hey Sasuke, what are you growling for?" Naruto asked. The blue pup snapped out of his trance and focused on the other pup again. He shook his head, "Nothing, just thinking."

The orange pup eyed Sasuke. "Mmmm fine don't tell me then." Naruto sat down and pouted at the Uchiha. Sasuke scowled, "It's nothing alright?" The blue pup then trotted to the crystal clear lake to take a drink. The orange pup walked over to the edge of the lake to join Sasuke, mindful of his bruised body. '_I'm kinda thirsty too.'_ Reaching the water's edge he observed as Sasuke's long tongue darted out and lapped up the cold liquid. Naruto's own tongue snaked out to lick his dry lips as he stared at the water. He dipped his head just like Sasuke and let his pink tongue slide out to lap up the refreshing water.

The orange pup closed his eyes in content as the cool liquid hit the back of his throat. Both pups lapped up the water, the only noises coming from the waterfall and the orchestra of insects. With their thirst quenched they retracted their heads to look at the glowing lights flickering around them. Naruto smiled as one of the fireflies landed on his nose. Sasuke chuckled contently watching the other have a good time. Naruto closed his eyes again; perking his ears straight up. Sasuke gave Naruto a puzzled looked. "What are you doing Naruto?" He asked stepping closer to him.

"Hmmm?" One of Naruto's ears swiveled in the direction of the Uchiha. "I'm listening to the voice of the forest." He simply said. Sasuke knitted his brow "The voice of the forest?"

"Yeah." Naruto's eyes were still closed when he replied. When they did finally open, they stared sadly into Sasuke's black eyes. "My mom used to take me into the woods at night, and she'd make me listen closely to all the sounds surrounding us. Then she would tell me that every sound that I would hear was the voice of a wolf that has moved on to the next world. I used to only listen because the sounds were so beautiful, but now I listen because one day I hope that I can hear my mom and dad again." Sasuke gasped softly, his eyes widening in surprise.

Naruto flashed a sad smile and looked down. Sasuke copied Naruto's movements from just a moment ago and observed his surroundings. With his ears perked up and his eyes closed, Sasuke listened carefully for the voice of the forest. A few moments later his eyes reopened. "I guess you were right Naruto." He whispered.

Naruto lifted up his head; locking his now dull eyes with Sasuke. The orange pup was shocked, was Sasuke sad too? "Sasuke…" The blue pup smiled, sadness apparent in his scent. "About the voices of the forest, they're here. I could hear my mother's warm voice as well as all the other voices of the Uchiha pack; including my big brother."

The other pup was in too much shock to speak. '_Sasuke…you're not from here either are you?'_ Envy coursed through Naruto's veins; why could Sasuke hear from his deceased pack, but not him? But Naruto would keep trying every night. "So then, you're from a different pack too, huh Sasuke?" Naruto asked quietly.

The other pup's ears picked up the barely audible question and replied, "Yes, I was brought here by my older brother, but he was too injured to make it out alive. He died shortly after I was brought here to safety. I've lived in my own cave ever since, hunting when I needed food. As an Uchiha I trained at an earlier age than most and I know how to survive on my own." Sasuke figured that the only way he'd find out about Naruto's past is to share some of his own past.

"So, you really are just like me then, aren't you Sasuke? My pack and parents were killed, but the wolf that killed them was also the wolf that brought me here. Our pack wasn't big, but we were strong. After all that had happened I told myself it couldn't get any worse, boy was I wrong. Here I am, an omega for something I didn't even mean to happen." Naruto's voice cracked a few times, the tears collecting in his eyes, but not falling yet. '_His whole pack was wiped out as well.' _

"We have something in common Naruto. We both share the pain and loneliness from losing our packs. We also share something else; we both know how it feels to be judged solely on our appearances and actions." Sasuke explained.

"Huh? What do you mean? Every wolf likes you." Naruto was baffled, Sasuke wasn't the one that got shunned by the pups. If anything they admired or respected him a lot.

The blue pup laid down on his stomach so that he was comfortable. "I don't know how many, but I do know that a lot of females in the pack label me as cool and perfect, yet they know nothing about me except for the fact that I am quiet around them. So, they labeled me without really knowing anything about the real me. Just like earlier, you came to join us, but as soon as you entered as a hyperactive pup everyone else quickly labeled you weird. I shouldn't have to explain the rest to you."

Naruto nodded slowly, "Oh, but at least they like you. I'd give anything for them to interact with me the way they do with you." He admitted dejectedly.

"Tch they only like me because I'm a strong male." Sasuke stretched out on his side before getting back up. He looked over at Naruto who seemed to be captivated by something in the night sky. Curious at what had the pup's attention Sasuke gazed up at the night sky and saw the big, bluish white moon. He noted that it was in its full phases tonight and when he shifted his gaze to Naruto, he couldn't take his eyes off of him.

The Uchiha noticed that Naruto's fur seemed to reflect brightly as the moonlight shined down upon him. It gave Naruto a very beautiful essence, to which Sasuke couldn't stop from blushing. Forcefully tearing his eyes from Naruto's shimmering fur, Sasuke quickly scanned the area. His eyes quickly fell upon the crystal clear lake and without hesitation, darted for the water. Naruto was broken from the moon's hypnotic spell when water came splashing into his face.

"Ack!" Naruto shook his muzzle to rid it of the cold water. Wanting to know what caused the splash, he surveyed the lake to see Sasuke paddling his way back to the banks. "Whoa Sasuke what was that for?" Naruto asked. The blue pup crawled his way out of the cold water and began to shake; sprinkling Naruto with more water.

"Hey!" Naruto shouted, raising a paw to protect his face from the incoming droplets. Sasuke smirked, "I had the sudden urge to take a bath." He felt better now that his blush had dissipated from the orange pup's view. '_Cold water always does the trick._' He thought smugly.

"Well you didn't have to get me wet." Naruto muttered. Sasuke's ear twitched as it picked up on the other pup's muttering. He chuckled softly and looked back at the moon; it was very inviting. '_Maybe…'_

Without further hesitation, Sasuke sat down, threw his head back and let out a low howl. Naruto's ears straightened up as the howl rang throughout the forest.

He looked back at the howling Sasuke. '_Damn. His howling is so amazing. I wonder if I got any better.'_ Naruto smiled and threw his own head back to join Sasuke. His howling was a much higher pitch than Sasuke, but nonetheless his own howls were alluring. The blue pup raised his pitch a bit higher to harmonize with Naruto's already high tone. The two closed their eyes and continued to howl together, adding their own voices to the forest's ballad. Their song soon finished; their heads returning to their original position. The two reopened their eyes and stared at each other. Naruto could feel his chest aching just by looking at the handsome wolf pup in front of him. Sasuke also had some of the same effect; his heart had skipped a beat when he locked eyes with Naruto's stunning blue ones.

Naruto didn't know how long they howled for, but he did know that when he looked up at the moon, it had dipped from its original position and into the horizon. "Dawn will be here soon, do you want to head back?" Sasuke asked suddenly.

Naruto returned his attention to the Uchiha and shook his head. "No, I don't wanna go back yet. Don't get me wrong I love being with Iruka sensei, but being out here with you is…nice. You're the first pup to actually be nice to me and I wanted to know if…we could be… friends?" Sasuke noted how hesitant Naruto sounded and let his thoughts wander for a bit.

'_I don't know why, but being around him just makes me feel so…not alone. Naruto needs someone there for him, and even though I hate to admit it, I also need someone there for me; someone who isn't going to just follow me around because of how strong I am. Naruto would be that someone.' _ Sasuke smiled slightly, "I guess I can agree to be your friend, at least you don't want to only stick around me because I'm strong." He said venturing closer to Naruto.

The orange pup's mood lifted instantly. "Really!?" He asked excitedly, his tail wagging rapidly. A large smile featured on his face as the Uchiha agreed to the friendship offer. Sasuke nodded at the thrilled pup and laid down on his stomach by the ledge of the bank. He then motioned for Naruto to join him with his head. The other pup was more than happy to join Sasuke. He carefully walked to the other; he didn't want to hurt his sore body. He laid down like Sasuke staring at the waterfall.

Sooooooo, what are we doing exactly?" He faced the other pup with confusion. "Watching the sunrise. If you thought the lake at night was interesting, then you will be amazed when dawn approaches."

"Oh, how long is that gonna take!?" Naruto was now eager for the event to take place. Sasuke shook his head at the pup's obliviousness. "You idiot, it'll probably be an hour or so, we'll be waiting a while so just relax." Naruto pouted, he really wanted to see the water when the sun shined on it. He sighed, "Awwwww man, what are we supposed to do for that long?" Naruto complained.

Sasuke replied, "Just be quiet for a moment and rest." He then laid his head down on his front paws observing the fish maneuver through the water. Naruto didn't feel like resting so he decided to copy Sasuke and watch the fish dance beneath the water.

As Naruto observed, he couldn't help but marvel at how fast the fish could weave through it. He himself didn't really have much practice in the water and was a bit hesitant to wander into the deeper parts. Time passed as the two pups starred at the fish. They talked about how each could probably catch one without diving right in.

"Hmm if I could just reach it, I could have a morning snack hehehehe." Naruto grinned, extending his arm near the top of the water. He waited until a fish was close enough and swatted at it. The pup yelped, "Ow! That hurt!" Naruto had pulled on his sore arm muscle. He then frowned when the fish he thought he caught did not appear on the bank beside him. '_Shit, I must have missed.'_ Sasuke had seen what Naruto did wrong.

"You're not being quick enough Naruto." Sasuke explained. "Huh? Not quick enough?" Naruto asked looking up at the blue pup. "Watch me." Sasuke said, extending his arm and readying his paw. When the prey was in range Sasuke swatted at the fish with lightning speed. Naruto's eyes followed the fish that was currently flopping around on the bank.

His mouth was agape as he turned his attention back to the skilled pup. "How did you do that?!" The excitement in his voice made Sasuke smirk with pride. "Like I said, you have to be quick enough to swat at them, otherwise they dart away." Naruto stared at his reflection in the water and nodded slowly; he would try again. Sasuke watched as Naruto let his paw hover over the water's edge. It wasn't long before another fish made its way over to them. Naruto narrowed his eyes in concentration as the fish swam closer and closer. When he thought it was close enough Naruto swatted at the fish again, only to have water splash in his face.

Naruto growled, his tail flicking in agitation and tried again and again. Naruto tried many times to scoop a fish out of the water, but no luck; he just couldn't get it. He growled again; getting frustrated with himself. "I hope you know that it will take some time and practice to get this right." Sasuke said softly. The frustrated pup turned to Sasuke and sighed, "How long did it take you to finally get this?" he asked sullenly. The blue pup hned before looking over to the waterfall. "I practiced for a few days, that's how long it took me. Maybe it'll only take you a few days to get it as well."

Naruto's ears fell as he groaned in response. Sasuke felt his chest tighten when he saw how disappointed the other looked. Not wanting to see Naruto look so gloomy the Uchiha decided to make Naruto an offer. "…How about we come here…at night tomorrow…you can practice more." Sasuke said, a faint blush dusting his blue cheeks.

Naruto seemed to perk up at that and smiled, "You really mean that? Sasuke you're the best!" He shouted. Just then the orange pup noticed that Sasuke's blue fur was lighter than just a moment ago. Then it clicked, the sun was rising. He looked over to the lake excitedly and gazed. The water had transformed into a bright golden orange while the waterfall shinned a bright yellow. It was a stunning sight Naruto witnessed; the small rays of light made the ripples shimmer like light.

"It's so pretty, I don't believe it!" Naruto laughed giddily, making a small smile appear on Sasuke's features. When Naruto calmed down he yawned loudly. "I think it's time we head back Naruto." Sasuke suggested; getting up to stretch.

"Yeah you're probably right, besides I wouldn't want Iruka sensei to realize that I snuck out last night." Naruto stood up; mindful of his bruises and stretched a bit. Both pups shook their stiff bodies and then proceeded to make their way back to the caves. Now that it was dawn Naruto didn't need to be so close to Sasuke to feel at ease. He grinned as he heard different noises than the ones from last night. While there was an orchestra at night, there were few noises at dawn; mostly birds chirping. As they walked onward the orange pup took in his surroundings; ears twitching at each new chirp or sound.

When they finally reached the edge both Naruto and Sasuke scanned the area to make sure they weren't being watched. As they deemed the coast clear Naruto strayed down one path while Sasuke took the other one. They both took one look back at each other; Naruto giving Sasuke a large smile while Sasuke responded with a grin. Naruto then bolted back to Iruka's cave, using his nose to sniff his caretaker's familiar scent while Sasuke sprinted to his own cave. When Naruto locked onto Iruka's scent he quickly followed it to the cave.

Finally arriving, Naruto slowed down and began to creep back into the cave very quietly. His eyes locked onto his caretaker that was still sleeping and exhaled silently. '_Oh good, maybe he won't notice I was gone most of the night.'_ Naruto thought as he tiptoed his way back in between Iruka's arms. He crossed over the older wolves' arms carefully and nestled on the ground. He closed his eyes for a few moments as he readied himself for a small nap.

"And just where have you been Naruto?" The pup's eyes shot wide open. Naruto had been caught in the act. Lifting his head he turned to see his caretaker glaring at him. Naruto reacted by yelping.

"Ahh! Huh? I wasn't anywhere, I was just outside pouncing the insects." He said nervously. Naruto was hoping this would get him off the hook, but his caretaker didn't look like he was buying it. Naruto tried to keep calm as Iruka sniffed him from nose to tail. The older wolf growled softly, "I know you're lying to me. Where did you really go, and did a wolf hurt you Naruto?" Naruto lowered his ears whimpering a bit.

"I uh, didn't get hurt. Sasuke came around when I woke up at night and he took me to a nice place in the woods with lots of clear water. We stayed there until dawn just talking and watching the sunrise hit the water just right; he even tried to teach me how to fish Iruka sensei." The older wolf blinked his eyes and smiled, he didn't miss the gleam in Naruto's eyes as he talked about Sasuke.

"Well it sounds like you had a good time out there with him." Iruka said, laying his head on his paws. He chuckled when Naruto had a light blush staining his cheeks. "I-I did, he's my only friend you know?" Naruto admitted, pouting cutely.

"Oh? Really? So you made a friend after all." Iruka was happy that his pup had someone that wanted to be friends with him and not hurt him. Naruto's tail wagged, he was glad that his caretaker wasn't glaring at him anymore.

"Yeah! He was actually nice to me, but kind of cold to the other pups, only… there was an accident and I thought he wouldn't want to see me again." Naruto's smile melted into a frown as he whispered that last part sadly.

Iruka was puzzled; an accident, what accident? "Accident? What happened Naruto?" The older wolf was curious. The pup fidgeted as he told his caretaker about the other day. "I uh, I had my first nosing with Sasuke, but it was an accident. I didn't mean to it just happened. Naruto's cheeks were a dark crimson as his mind replayed the images of them nosing.

"What! You had your first nosing with a male?" Iruka was shocked; he didn't know his pup was more interested in males. The pup's ears submerged from his caretaker's angry outburst. He knew nosing a male wasn't normal, but it had actually felt really nice. Naruto felt his heart skip a beat just thinking about how nice it was with Sasuke.

"Did I do something wrong Iruka sensei?" The pup asked, his voice trembling with fear. Iruka was brought back from his shocked state by Naruto's question, and when he looked down at the pup, the smell of fear was evident. His ears fell; Iruka instantly felt guilty for frightening the pup when he didn't mean to. "No you didn't do anything wrong Naruto." He said bringing the frightened pup close to his chest with a paw. Naruto instantly cuddled into the warm fur as he listened to Iruka. "I was just surprised is all. There's nothing wrong with rubbing noses with another male, but Naruto are you interested in Sasuke?" Naruto paled, his cheeks burning again from the blood rising to his cheeks.

"N-no way! We're just friends Iruka sensei!" He shouted getting more flustered by the minute. Iruka just smiled, "Alright if you say so Naruto." He chuckled, earning a growl from the pup. '_Naruto, Do you fancy males? Will you end up like Kakashi and me?'_ If Naruto did turn out like him, he would be sure to encourage him and help him when other wolves would make fun of him. To him there was nothing wrong with males being together, but Iruka know how cruel others could be and he wouldn't allow Naruto to go through the pain alone. Iruka chuckled again at the pup's defensive demeanor. He then sat up and stretched his limbs before walking to the entrance of the cave.

"Anyway, how about some training? I know you're itching to get that technique down." Iruka asked looking back at the pup. Naruto went from being defensive to eager in a heartbeat. He then grimaced when he realized that his limbs were still sore. "My body still hurts though." He pouted. The older wolf smirked at him. "Naruto you do know the more you move, the faster your soreness will go away?"

The pup's ears perked right up at that, and suddenly he was fueled with the desire to train." Ignoring his pain, Naruto ran passed his caretaker and out into the area where they first trained together. "Come on Iruka sensei! I'm gonna get this for sure this time!" Naruto was bursting with energy now. The older wolf trotted over to where Naruto was; laughing. "Alright alright, now, do you remember what to do Naruto?" The pup nodded determinedly as he raised his tail to be level with his body. He then crouched to the ground and smiled at Iruka, who was impressed with the ease that Naruto seemed to have getting into position.

'_It was only the other day that Naruto had trouble staying in sync with all three steps, and now he can get into position with such ease.'_ He smiled at his thoughts and nodded to the pup. "Very good, but let's try something a little different." Iruka walked a few feet in front of Naruto and laid down on his stomach facing away from the all too eager pup.

The older wolf didn't have to turn around to know that Naruto was confused and called out to him, "Naruto, practice on me, see if you can sneak up on me without being caught. I'll tell you if you are and remember you need to be as quiet as possible."

"Ok, I'll try." Naruto agreed, and then took his stance. "Whenever you're ready Naruto." Iruka called out to him again. The pup inhaled deeply and exhaled before trying to creep up onto his caretaker. Even thought he was in pain, he had an easier time crouching low and keeping his tail leveled with his body now that he had previous practice. The only thing he still had to work on was his speed and steps; they were still slow and loud. Naruto began approaching Iruka, trying to keep his steps light, though he would flinch every time he made a loud step. He would look up and see the older wolf's ears twitch to the obvious sounds Naruto made. When Naruto was in pouncing range Iruka suddenly called out, "Caught you Naruto. Go back to the beginning and try again."

"Awwwwww Iruka senseeei." Naruto pouted and sprinted back to where he first began and took his stance once again. He waited a few seconds before resuming his training. That whole morning Naruto trained with Iruka; getting caught almost every time too. There were only a few instances when Naruto was close enough to pounce his caretaker, but Iruka would catch him before he could launch himself at the older wolf.

It was around noon when Naruto had collapsed from exhaustion. Iruka stood up and sauntered over to the pup; licking his forehead to cool him off. "You worked hard today Naruto, how about you rest right here while I get you something to eat? Then I'll take you to a nice stream where you can cool off at."

"Sounds g-great." Naruto panted; lying down on his side under the shady trees to cool off. The older wolf nodded and dashed off further into the forestry to look for a meal. Meanwhile Naruto fell into a light sleep; images about his nosing with Sasuke flooding his mind.

**This was such a cute chap to write, I'll update soon and have the next chap up and ready in no time.**


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